The Jesuit education we at the College embrace is built on the deepest foundation of the arts and sciences.
— Richard Greenwald, PhD Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
Dear CAS Community,
As we seem to be at a societal reentry-point, after 18-months of uncertainty, there is a certain kind of joy — though mixed with caution and ambiguity — that comes from our campus reunion of academic and spiritual communion. While we are learning to mitigate the virus, we have not lost focus on our core mission in the College: the formation of people through education of the highest caliber.
Upon reflection, I am reminded of something the Jesuit Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J., said in 2002: “we must ask ourselves whether our students deepen their sense of wonder and curiosity, cultivate their ideals, widen their understanding of human life and their sympathy for others….In an institution of higher education the knowledge gained through inquiry brings with it the responsibility of acting justly for the common good. But the ethical ideal proposed by our schools should be of a higher level than that of liberal education. We and our students should continually be asking ourselves if the choices we make are leading us to the ideal of service….”
The Jesuit education we at the College embrace is built on the deepest foundation of the arts and sciences. But, as Fr. Kolvenbach reminds us, we cannot rest there. We need to transcend this learning, connecting it to the world around us so our students will be successful not just in their studies, but in their lives and in a changing world.
Ours, after all, is an education for the whole person, for life. That is why I am excited to be entering my fifth year as your College of Arts & Sciences Dean. This work is never complete and always presents challenges and opportunities. The mark of a superior liberal arts education is the ability of its students to apply that knowledge to an evolving world. And our students are doing just that.
We have hit the ground running this fall; and campus is teeming with activity from student and faculty research to the offerings of our Frederickson Family Innovation Lab, to the Inspired Writers Series led by our own Phil Klay, and more.
I look forward to all that’s to come for the College this semester. Please keep in touch with us and follow the College on us on Instagram, Facebook, and on Twitter for the latest in news and events.
Stay well, stay safe, and GO STAGS!
Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
